


A Tale of Time

by iLoveSourWorms



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Time Travel, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iLoveSourWorms/pseuds/iLoveSourWorms
Summary: It's a tale about time. About two men whose lives are somehow, miraculously intertwined through the past, the present and the future. It's a tale in which, no matter what, James Barnes always finds Steve Rogers.ORBucky accidentally gets cursed and sent back in time to 1935.





	A Tale of Time

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for coming to check this out! I started writing this over two years ago as an IDEA and I've finally pumped out the first chapter (which is pretty pathetic because it's only a few thousand words lol). I really hope you like my idea! Please comment, kudos, bookmark or whatever it is you wild kids do these days.

**_James, 1935_ **

 

He wrenches himself from the deep, dark nothingness. He wakes up floating aimlessly in freezing water. He sputters and attempts to swim, and soon realizes the sea is only waist deep. Gasping guttural breaths, his lungs and body are aflame with agony. His searching gaze scales the shoreline, and he realises he’s woken in a world unknown.

 

James Barnes is 19 years old, and he is so extraordinarily lost.

 

The slow haze of sleep begins to recede. He’s almost sure that he’s dreaming, for this is not his New York. He slowly forces himself to stand completely, put one foot in front of the other and walk onto the sandy earth.

 

He’s in a dockyard, he realises. Giant, rusty tankers only a few hundred metres from where he stands. James tries to recount his memories prior to this, and the last thing he can recall is driving. His car moving quickly down a winding road. His phone clutched precariously between his ear and his shoulder, Captain America shouting orders at him over the line.

 

The memory of the man sends a spike of throbbing pain into his left temple, and it reignites the burning twisting and pulsing through his veins. His whole body feels as though he’s been ripped apart and put back together. He continues to cast his eyes around, but he sees no other people in sight.

 

With every step he takes, his legs feel heavier and heavier. It becomes harder to breathe, and before long the darkness once again has pulled him into its grasp.

 

~

 

This time, when he awakes, there is a young man there to greet him. Someone who looks vaguely, impossibly familiar, but his frazzled mind can’t piece it together.

 

The man, the _boy_ , is frowning at him. His sparkling blue eyes riddled with humour.

 

“Are you okay, sir?” The boys surprisingly deep voice startles him, and James realises that this boy may be slightly older than he looks. His blonde hair keeps catching the light, his face so familiar. James knows he staring, he knows he has to be making the man uncomfortable, but he still can’t picture how he knows him. The eyes, he’s seen those eyes be-

 

“Sir?”

 

James jumps, “Yeah,” he clears his throat. “I’m fine.” He tries to stand to his feet but collapses under his own weight. The man looks as though he was reaching to try and catch him, but stopped himself at last minute.

 

“What’s your name, pal?”

 

“Ja-“

 

“Jay?” Now he’s frowning again, the lines in his forehead becoming even more prominent.

 

“N-no. Not Jay, Bucky. My name is Bucky.”

 

“Well, okay then. Nice to meet you, Jay-Bucky. I’m Steve. Steve Rogers.”

 

James doesn’t say anything for a time. He doesn’t say anything at all. How could he? It suddenly all makes sense. Why he looked so familiar, why his voice sounded so recognisable.

 

James was looking at Captain America before he was Captain America. _How?_

 

“What y-. Wh- _How!?_ ”

 

“I’m going to admit, I’m confused.” Steve was now openly frowning.

 

James jumped to his feet, and though his legs still dragged, and he still felt impossibly heavy, he knew he had to leave. Because if what he believed to be true, and he was in fact, in the past, he knew he had to get out of here. That he had to get away from the man that would one day, likely soon, save the world. James didn’t know much. But he knew - from an extensive history watching doctor who- that you must not interfere with a fixed point in time. It’s not like he had a rule book or anything, but James was _pretty_ sure that Captain America saving the world from some catastrophic Nazi attack was pretty fixed.

 

The tall young man fastened his pace, and left a confused Steve Rogers in his wake, “Wait! Where are you going?” The short blonde shouted out to him. “Wait, Bucky!” James threw one final look over his shoulder, before pacing into a full-blown sprint. For a split second, Steve looked as though he was about to pursue him, but he simply remained standing in the same spot, his feet sinking further into the damp sand.

 

 

 

**_James, 2013_ **

A _pop!_ sounded through the air, “so, what’s it like having the Stark internship?” James looked over at his younger sister, Rebecca, chewing on an excessively large piece of bright pink gum and he simply rolled his eyes. You’d think being away from your family for the past six months would make you miss them, but it appears younger siblings never grow out of that irritating phase.

 

“It’s fine, Becs, I don’t really get to do much other than clean the whiteboards and pretend I understand what the purpose of a quantum computer is, but hey? Jobs a job.”

 

“But it’s an unpaid job, isn’t it?”

 

“So? Still a job, I have my foot in the door of one of the most prominent companies in the world.”

 

Rebecca rolled her eyes, her dark brows a stark contrast against the vibrant blue of her iris’. She resumed to chew noisily on her gum, and smirks when James huffs in annoyance and continues to ignore his sister.

 

Suddenly, a short but lithe woman walks through the door, and lets out a resounding squeal. “Jimmy! Baby you’re home!” The bickering siblings turn towards the large green door to see their mother beaming. Winifred hastily drops the shopping bags and rushes to his side, she grasps onto her son in overwhelming display of affection as tears well in her eyes.

 

“Hi, Ma. I missed you.” The teen, who now towers more than a foot over his mother bent down and kissed her forehead, he smiled affectionately before making eye contact with Rebecca, who raises her eyebrows at her older brother.

 

“I missed you too, Jim. Now, sit your backside down and tell me about your damn internship!”

 

James nervously rubbed at his wrist, and despite being his family, he enjoys the discussion of his work no more than every other time he’s had to explain it.

 

People tend to be really misinformed about what exactly it is that he does for the Stark Internship. Yes, he certainly gets to see and hear about plenty of cool and interesting stuff - after-all, he does work for _the_ Tony Stark - although with simply being a college dropout who is interning is the marketing sector, he could be doing something better with his time.

 

He let out an exaggerated sigh, and mumbled, “I’ll tell you about it later.”, then James walked away from the spacious living area. Winifred frowned at her oldest child, and she decided to pester him later.

 

 

**_Steve_ ** **, 2012**

_You have four new messages, BEEP_ , 

 

“Capsicle! We’re doing a movie night at Stark Tower, I was thinking we should catch you up, new trek, old trek, all the trek. It’s Tony, by the way, should probably specify for you, being senile and all” 

 

“Hi, Steve. It’s Bruce, just reminding you that we have an appointment for your blood work on Wednesday. Please don’t eat anything the day of, thanks.”

 

“Please connect me with Steve Rogers, you mortals sometimes call him Captain America... Hello...? What is a tone...?”

 

“Call me, nobody has heard from you since New York.”

 

Steve sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He appreciated the gesture from his co-workers – co-workers? Friends? Fellow Avengers? - to try and encourage him to socialise, but Steve just couldn’t bring himself to leave the house. 

 

It’s been 12 days and 14 hours since New York, and Steve is finally realising what it truly means to be alone. 

 

He can’t remember the last time he actually _slept._ Properly slept.

_Probably 1935?_ The tall blonde man huffs a laugh at his obnoxious inner voice, his conscience. It’s been steadily growing louder since he woke up from the ice, and he figures he probably needs that now more than ever.

 

He pretends to ignore the fact that his conscience sounds ever more like a ghost from his past with every passing day.

 

 

**_A Fracture in Time,_ ** **April 7 th, 2014, 1600 hours.**

 

“Okay, so is everyone familiar with their assignments?”, Brock Rumlow stands tall at the front of the room. His proud demeanour causes him to tower over the scattered SHIELD agents sitting in front of him. When everyone nods attentively he moves aside to allow Captain Rogers to step forward.

 

“As everyone knows, this is no routine fight. We don’t know what exactly they’re equipped with. I want everyone to have each others backs. Know your field partner. Know your exits. Keep your comms open. We want everyone back here tomorrow in one piece.”

 

“Aye aye Cap’n.” Everyone turns to the young man sitting at the back of the room with the damned proudest smirk he’s ever seen, Steve rolls his eyes at the sight of his young friend. “Nice of you to join us, James. On time as usual.” James shuts his mouth at the bite, smirk quickly turning to a full pout.

 

The occupants of the room quickly spill out into the bunkers to go and gather their equipment, leaving the two men alone.  

 

James saunters toward Steve, his pack lazily hung over a single shoulder.

 

“Well Captain, do I get a goodbye kiss?” James puckers his full lips together, making annoying smacking sounds at the older man.

 

“Shut up, you punk.” Steve laughs at the younger man. It was James’ first official mission. Steve didn’t even want to think about what potential danger he could get himself into. “You’re coming with me, so no need for a goodbye.”  

 

“Lucky me.” He quipped sarcastically.

 

“Come on, go pack your stuff.” Steve smiled fondly as the young man turned his back and left the room.


End file.
